The moon may be 384,400 kilometers away, but an accurate replica of its surface has opened in Germany. Astronauts from around the world will use it to train for missions to the moon.
A new facility mimicking the surface of the moon has opened in Cologne, Germany. The LUNA facility will help astronauts train for future lunar landingsImage: ESA
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A new mock-up of the moon's surface has opened near the western German city of Cologne.
A decade in the making, the LUNA Analog Facility is jointly built by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
"The LUNA facility symbolizes the conditions on the lunar surface and prepares astronauts for the moon," Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general, said at a press briefing event.
That includes non-European astronauts, including those from the American space agency NASA.
The LUNA facility is a "regolith testbed" made from synthetic materials designed to simulate the moon's surface.
LUNA was first conceptualized in 2013, but the original proposal for a 1,000-square-meter (10,764-square-foot) facility was trimmed to a 700-square-meter final design.
Mission Moon in Cologne: 'LUNA' training facility opens
True-to-life dust and low gravity: In the new "LUNA" simulation facility in the western German city of Cologne, astronauts can train for missions on the moon under realistic conditions.
Image: ESA
Globally unique
High five: Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer (right), one of the main initiators of the project, celebrated the opening of the new lunar simulation facility in Cologne-Porz on Wednesday. It was created in collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and is the only one of its kind in the world.
Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture alliance
700 square meters of moon
From the outside, the hall of the LUNA Analog Facility looks rather unspectacular, but inside, 700 square meters (7,534 square feet) of rock and over 900 tons of fine sand from volcanic rock have been used to recreate the surface of the moon as faithfully as possible. There are also lunar craters and reduced gravity simulations.
Image: PAU BARRENA/AFP
Dangerous dust
Astronauts can train here for moon missions under realistic conditions including how to react to potential dangers. Moon dust is dangerous and can stick to spacesuits and damage them; if it is inhaled, it can also damage the lungs. Equipment and protective measures will therefore also be tested in the facility.
Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture alliance
'Cologne is the closest thing to the moon'
The first training sessions for astronauts should soon be possible. At the LUNA training center, they will learn how to take soil samples or put on and take off their space suit without inhaling dust particles. "You could actually say that here in Cologne is the closest place on Earth to the moon," says German astronaut Alexander Gerst.
Image: PAU BARRENA/AFP
New race to the moon
Lunar robots like this one can also be tested in the Cologne simulation facility. No man has been on the moon since the end of the US Apollo program in 1972, but numerous countries such as China, Japan and India as well as private companies have recently substantially stepped up their efforts to explore the Earth's satellite and outer space.
Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture alliance
On the road to success
Representatives from NASA also attended the opening alongside North Rhine-Westphalia's state premier, Hendrik Wüst (left) and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. The US space agency is also working on a resumption of manned moon missions. However, there have recently been a number of technical problems; the "Artemis 3" mission has now been postponed until September 2026.
Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture alliance
Step by step toward the moon
Could a European soon be leaving footprints in the real moon's dust? This won't be the case before 2030, as NASA's planned mission will involve only US astronauts. However, LUNA positions Europe "at the forefront" of lunar exploration and will also promote international cooperation," explained ESA chief Aschbacher.
Image: PAU BARRENA/AFP
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LUNA facility mimics moon's surface
"We have about 900 tonnes of regolith simulating material in the facility to simulate the dusty environment and mobility on the surface," said Juergen Schlutz, LUNA Facility Engineer & Moon Strategy Lead at European Space Agency, at the same press briefing.
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The simulated moon dust, called EAC-1, was sourced from 45-million-year-old volcanic powder cast across the Eifel region covering the Belgian, German and Luxembourg borderlands.
The main hall also includes a specialized illumination simulator to recreate day-and-night cycles on the moon's surface.
The ESA is also working with European partners to introduce gravity offloading systems. "They will allow testing of the ability to move in one-sixth gravity conditions, like astronauts would have to on the moon," said Schlutz.
As well as providing a realistic surface for astronauts to prepare for moon visits, it will also provide a testbed for operating robotic systems, scientific activities and energy systems.
For example, researchers at the facility will test the regolith to understand the effects of moon dust on equipment space agencies plan to bring to the moon.
Research at the facility aims to generate solutions that "make life on earth much more productive and cleaner," said Aschbacher.
Astronauts haven't been to the moon's surface since December 1972. Space programs like Artemis aim to bring humans back to the moon by 2028Image: The Print Collector/picture alliance
Preparing for Artemis missions to moon
The LUNA facility won't be the only moon-like facility available for astronauts and scientists to use.
Under construction next door is the Future Lunar Exploration Habitat (FLEXHab), simulating a potential moon habitation module and connecting into the main hall.
The EDEN-ISS greenhouse, a five-year experiment simulating food cultivation in cold space environments, will be repurposed as the "EDEN LUNA" project.
It will be used for astronauts-in-training to practice growing their own food — a vital skill should NASA's goal of establishing a permanent moon research presence be realized in the coming years.
Artemis I launched in 2022 as an uncrewed test flight. The second and third missions will launch crewed missions first to lunar orbit and then the moon's surface.
Edited by: Fred Schwaller
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